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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Check out this blog post at DIY Scholar: History of Modern Africa Since 1880
[...] University of California San Diego (UCSD) historian Jeremy Prestholdt narrates Africa’s modern history in a calm and thoughtful manner which makes his indictment of European colonialism and the racial paternalism of the colonial all the more damning. [...]
(feed of the discussed course)

In Our TimeAristotle's Poetics
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the seminal work of literary criticism by Aristotle, his 'Poetics'. Full of advice about how to write and appreciate tragedy and epic poetry, the book had a huge influence on French renaissance drama and beyond. Melvyn is joined by Angie Hobbs, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Senior Fellow in the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Warwick; Nick Lowe is Reader in Classical Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London; and Stephen Halliwell, Professor of Greek at the University of St. Andrews.
(review, feed)

Here is a piece of nostalgia - for me at least. When I was young and until today I loved Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tales and especially Great Claus and Little Claus. At the podcast Forgotten Classics this tale was integrally read by Joseph in the new subseries Forgotten Tales. Go and listen yourself, especially in case you have never heard this cheeky tale. (feed)

Although Anderson's work is considered to be literary, I have always wondered how much of his tales are based upon regular folk stories. I own a collection of Dutch folk tales that continue a number of tales that contain some or all elements of Great Claus and Little Claus. In some respect the folk version is more cheeky - Little Claus catches the farmer's wife cheating on her husband and in some aspects Anderson is very daring when Great Claus is about to murder Little CLaus. He is weary of dragging him in a sack and decides to rest a bit in the Church. After he has heard some Psalms his spirit is uplifted and he has regained strength to continue with his plan.

The most elite of the podcast reviewers (and most especially in the History genre). We use Anne is a Man! as a sort of barometer for how we are doing. Anne is a Man can assume the role of THE podcast reviewer on line; no one does it as well as he does.